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The 42
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Farrell expected to lean on Irish core in Lions team for first Test
ANDY FARRELL IS expected to lean on an Irish core in his British and Irish Lions team for their first Test against the Wallabies on Saturday in Brisbane. The Lions will name their matchday 23 at around 8am on Thursday morning Irish time, with Farrell set to include a big crop of players he knows well from Ireland. Jamison Gibson-Park is expected to team up with Scotland's Finn Russell in the halfbacks, while James Lowe and Hugo Keenan are set to start in the Lions back three along with England's Tommy Freeman. Jack Conan is in line to resume his role as the Lions' starting number eight, having taken up that position on the last tour four years ago, while Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong are likely to be in the tourists' front row. Advertisement Joe McCarthy's powerful form means he is fancied to start in the second row alongside Lions captain Maro Itoje. It remains to be seen if any other Irish players feature in the Lions' starting XV, with Bundee Aki having pushed strongly for the number 12 shirt. Aki would likely partner Scotland's Huw Jones in midfield if that's the case, although Farrell has also been weighing up the all-Scottish duo of Sione Tuipulotu and Jones. Ireland's Garry Ringrose misses out on involvement due to concussion. Josh van der Flier would have had high hopes of featuring at openside, but he may be squeezed out of the starting XV by England's Tom Curry. Over at blindside, Tadhg Beirne has been among the options for Farrell to consider, but Englishman Ollie Chessum delivered a dominant performance there against the Brumbies which may have nailed down his spot. Farrell will confirm tomorrow which of Andrew Porter and Ellis Genge is starting at loosehead prop, although it's clear that both of them have major roles to play for the Lions regardless of who is in the number one shirt and who wears 17. There is likely to be further Irish influence off the Lions bench, with Rónan Kelleher in line to be the back-up hooker to Sheehan. Mack Hansen's foot injury is set to rule him out of possible involvement as the outside back on the bench, but the likes of van der Flier and Beirne will hope that there is space for them among the replacements if they're not in the starting XV. Meanwhile, Joe Schmidt will name his Wallabies matchday 23 at 4.30am Irish time on Thursday, with reports from The Roar and the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia suggesting that 22-year-old Tom Lynagh will be handed his first Test start. Powerful back row Rob Valetini looks set to miss out due to injury.
The Irish Sun
28-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Andy Farrell ‘wants to see how they deal with pressure' as he challenges Lions to ‘take their chance' vs Western Force
ANDY FARRELL cranked up the pressure on his Lions to beat Western Force today. With three weeks to go until the First Test in Brisbane, the Lions must start the Australian trip with a bang. And anything less than a sound beating of a side who finished ninth out of 11 in Super Rugby would be a massive setback. Boss Farrell said: 'They've got to take responsibility and grab a hold of their chance to make sure they take this team forward. 'We'll see how we respond. The guys taking the field this weekend are a little bit fortunate in the sense that they understand how we want to get better. Read More on Lions 'Part of the whole package is dealing with their own expectation and the pressure we put on ourselves. That's why we were disappointed last week. 'I put a lot on them because I want to see how they deal with the pressure.' Force have scrum-half Nic White — described by Eddie Jones as the 'biggest niggler' in rugby — leading the side after he was released by the Wallabies. Farrell added: 'It's a great side full of Australians who are in the here and now and people with the ambition to be future Australian Test players.' Most read in Rugby Union 1 Andy Farrell wants to see how the Lions respond against the Western Force Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The Irish Sun
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
How to watch British & Irish Lions squad announcement in Ireland? Stream and time as Andy Farrell makes final decision
ANDY FARRELL will finally announce his British & Irish Lions squad this afternoon - and fans will be able to watch along from home. The Australia this summer . Advertisement 1 Andy Farrell will announce his Lions squad this afternoon He took secondment from the Boys in Green earlier this year, with He will be part of And how much representation the Irish squad will have on the panel will be a major question heading into the announcement. Here, SunSport takes you through how and when you can watch it. Advertisement Read More on Lions When is it on and what time does it start? The British & Irish Lions squad announcement takes place this afternoon at the expected time of 2pm. The event will take place at The O2 in London , with up to 2,000 fans hoped to gather for the reveal. As for those who cannot be there in person... Where can I watch it? For those who cannot attend in person, the squad announcement will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union It When is the tour and what are the fixtures? The Lions will play 10 matches in all on the 2025 Tour, starting with a home clash against Argentina on June 20 in Dublin for the 1888 Cup. Inside Simon Easterby's life with TV host wife ahead of him taking over from Andy Farrell as interim Ireland boss The squad will then fly out to Australia for Tour matches against the Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs and the ACT Brumbies before a match against an Invitational Australia/New Zealand team a week out from the first Test. That opening fixture against the Wallabies will come on July 19 in Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, followed by a clash with a First Nations & Pasifika XV the following Tuesday. Advertisement The second Test against the Wallabies will be at the MCG in Melbourne before the series finishes up in Sydney at Accor Stadium. Who will be Lions captain? The only player who will know in advance of today's announcement that they are going on the tour is the captain. And latest word on the grapevine is that England international Speculation was rife that Advertisement The rumour mill intensified further when it was reported that the 27-year-old would require surgery on the shoulder injury and That has opened the door for Itoje to get the nod, with Farrell also dealing with a number of other injury concerns. , Scottish centres Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu, wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and are all doubts. Three playmakers will be taken Down Under with Advertisement Ireland head coach Faz will also make a call on Owen's fellow France-based players like Jack Willis and Blair Kinghorn, who would be late on tour because of the
